


The Merman and the Wise Girl

by Wren_Luvs_Marvel



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Atlantis, F/F, F/M, M/M, mermaid percy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-10 01:38:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14727525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wren_Luvs_Marvel/pseuds/Wren_Luvs_Marvel
Summary: Percy never wanted to be a merman. After the Argo II shipwrecks, all he can think about is the blonde girl he saved.





	1. Chapter 1

Percy

Look, Percy Jackson never wanted to be a merman. 

 

No matter how much he loved the ocean and his family, nothing ever changed for him. Everyday was the same. Wake up, swim around, greet subjects, have lunch with his family, swim around, have dinner, and then sleep.

"Percy!" 

Percy snapped his head to attention, locking eyes with his brother Tyson. Tyson was smiling at Percy, holding out a compass. Percy beamed and took the compass from Tyson.

"Tyson, where did you find this? We haven't seen a compass in years."

Tyson smiled at Percy, nodding happily. Percy loved his brother. He was one of the only people who understood him. Tyson was his best friend.

Tyson was technically his half-brother, if he were to tell the truth. Tyson was two years older than Percy, no matter how childish he acted. Tyson's mom was a water nymph who was lucky enough to marry their father. After Tyson's mother had him, she died. 

Tyson was one of the rarest merman in the sea. He was a cyclops merman. Even the sea god, Poseidon, had seen few in his lifetime. Tyson was one of the most unique merman in the sea, even without his being a cyclops.

Then there was Percy, the only merman to be born of Poseidon and a human. Percy knew little about his mother due to a rule made by his father. "No interacting with humans." Talk about a hypocrite.

Sally Jackson, his mother. His father had told Percy about her once. He didn't even know if she was dead or alive. She loved scary movies, whatever those were. Food that was blue and-

Sometimes it's just too painful to even think about.

"Percy, should we show the compass to daddy?"

Percy shook his head, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He was always getting distracted. 

"No. He'll destroy it like the last one." 

Percy closed the compass on his palm and whispered to himself. He opened his hand and the compass floated away. 

"Did you send it to our cave?" 

Percy nodded. Tyson pouted. Both boys froze and then looked to each other.

"Father is summoning us." Percy sighed, grabbing Tyson's hand and started swimming toward the palace.

\---------

Poseidon was waiting for his sons at his throne. His wife, Amphitrite, sat by his side, holding their newborn son, Triton. 

"Sweetie, are you sure Percy and Tyson are fully prepared to swim outside the kingdom by themselves?" Poseidon was asking his wife question after question.

"Darling, I assure you they'll be fine. For the time I've known them, sometimes they seem even more responsible than you." Amphitrite smirked at her husband, who looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Amphi-My boys, come over and gather around."

Percy and Tyson had arrived on the other side of the throne room. They swam over in front of the throne and bowed.

"Father." "Daddy."

"My sons, it is time you are granted your freedom to explore the entire sea. Not just my kingdom."

Both Percy and Tyson glanced at each other, excitement shining in their eyes.

"Thank you father!" "Thank you daddy!"

The two boys began to swim off.

"Wait." Poseidon slammed his trident into the sea floor. The doors at the end of the throne room slammed shut. "You boys remember the rule?"

Percy and Tyson turned around, sighing. "Yes. We will not disobey your rule father."

The two boys bowed, opening the door and swimming out speedily.

\---------

Percy and Tyson swam excitedly around their room, gathering their supplies for their exploration. Percy grabbed a knapsack from beside his bed. He began throwing everything he thought he needed into it. 

“Brother!” Tyson said excitedly. Percy turned and was met with a compass to the face. It slid off his face and into the bag. Percy rubbed his nose where the compass hit. “Sorry…” Tyson muttered before turning back around. 

“It’s alright. It’s not the first time.” Percy sighed, smiling at Tyson. “You ready for an adventure?”

“Yes, brother. Though slightly anxious. We've never been beyond the kingdom.” 

“We'll be alright. We know what we're doing. We've been preparing for this for years.” 

Percy and Tyson glanced at one another, nodding and exiting their room.

\---------

Tyson and Percy arrived at the stables, ready for their adventure and chattering excitedly. The guards gave them an off-glance and let them in to gather their hippocampi. 

Blackjack, Percy's’ hippocampi, nodded at him as Percy walked by to gather the saddle and other necessities for riding. Tyson strolled up to his hippocampi, Jack Black, (named after the actor who they met when he visited the kingdom. There's a surprisingly high amount of famous demigods and half-bloods, he being the son of a water nymph and human with hilarious humor).

They departed from the stables. The hippocampi swam quickly into the depths of the sea, going as fast as they could. It was not often they got the chance to be taken out for a ride outside Poseidon’s kingdom. 

Percy was ecstatic, looking around and motioning for his hippocampi to go every which way. Tyson copied Percy. Both equally excited for any adventure that would soon unfold.

Whales swam overhead, blocking sunlight every now and then. Percy and Tyson decided to take a rest stop underneath a whale that was leaving a giant shadow. Tyson swam up to the whale, getting ready to ask it questions. Percy, not wanting Tyson to get in trouble or get hurt, swam quickly after him.

They approached the bottom of the whale, expecting the barnacles, but not… glass?

 

Percy raised his hand to the whale’s side, about to examine the whale. A sword stopped his hand. Percy and Tyson whirled around in surprise.

Calypso and Reyna, palace guards were behind the boys. Calypso had her sword drawn and was glaring at the boys. Percy realized why they were here and was instantly furious.

“Let me guess, our father sent you after us?”

Reyna and Calypso looked between each other and sighed.

“Percy, Tyson, we’re-”

“Save it! Our father says he’s ready to trust us and then sends our best friends after us to keep watch. Why won’t he just trust us?”

“Brother-”

“Not now Tyson!” Percy began to angrily chatter to Reyna and Calypso. 

Tyson was look at the whale, noticing mermen and mermaids walking along the edge staring at the four of them. He didn’t think they were mermaids or mermen. They didn’t have tails like him and his friends. Were these six… humans?

There was a total of six of them. Three boys and three girls. They all looked terrified, but not even glancing in Tyson’s direction anymore. 

The whale seemed to engulf itself with green fire. They all began to beat on the bottom of the whale. They all looked like they wanted help. Tyson began to hit the bottom of the whale as well. The seven of them together began to form cracks in the glass. The fire was getting closer to the six behind the glass.

“Reyna! Calypso!” Tyson yelled to the guards. Both turned their attention away from Percy. “You two need to sing and break the glass!”

“No we do not. We don’t just sing on command, Tyson.” 

“Their lives are in danger!”

“They’re humans! We do not interact with or help humans!” 

“They’ll die!”  
Percy was still furious at the two girls. He turned toward the whale, finally recognizing it as a ship from one of the old books in the palace library. He turned back to the girls.

“Ladies, we have to help them. Please.”

“They’re huma-”

“I don’t care! Sing and break this glass immediately!”

Calypso sighed, knowing the boys wouldn’t stop until they were able rescue the humans. She cleared her voice and began to sing, her voice getting higher and higher.

The glass shattered above the four merpeople. Reyna pushed Tyson and Percy out of the way of the glass. The six humans fell through the glass, floating out into the sea.

“We must get them to the surface!” Tyson demanded, grabbing two of the humans and swimming upwards. Reyna started to protest, following Tyson quickly. Even though she protested, she had grabbed another two humans. 

Calypso grabbed another human, following after Reyna and Tyson.

Percy was frozen, staring into the grey, stormy eyes of a blonde human. She was gorgeous. She grabbed Percy’s arm and began to attempt to swim upwards. She was beginning to thrash around. Percy shook his head, remembering humans couldn’t breathe underwater.

Percy pulled the human close, kissing her.


	2. 2

Annabeth

Annabeth had no idea who this Seaweed Brain was, but he was keeping her alive. The merman had begun ascending to the surface, though not breaking their lip contact. Annabeth had no idea how this was scientifically possible, but she was just happy she hadn’t died yet.

Annabeth could feel that the merman had gotten her to the surface, yet they still hadn't broke their lip contact. She could feel herself being drawn closer. 

"Annabeth!" Annabeth broke away from the kiss when she heard her name being called. She locked eyes with the merman.

"I'm Percy." He quickly said, smiling before descending back into the ocean below her.

Annabeth watch the other three merpeople follow after Percy underneath the ocean waves.

Annabeth swam to shore where all her friends were. Jason and Piper were checking each other for injuries, while Hazel and Frank were checking on Frank's firewood that kept him alive. Leo was staring into the ocean, his eyes watering.

Annabeth walked over to Leo, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Leo, I'm sorry about the Argo II." 

Leo just stared ahead at the sea.

"Leo?"

"Those merpeople, they saved us." Leo mumbled, looking to Annabeth. "The mermaid who saved me, left without letting me thank her."

"Everybody, the good news is that we are just an hours walk away from Athens. We were lucky that those merpeople saved us. I will ask my father to send our thanks to Lord Poseidon." Jason stood up, allowing Piper to lean on him. The girl had obtained a twisted ankle when the merman who helped her had practically thrown Jason and her to the shore.

Annabeth's mouth tightened and she sighed. She began to speak up, her voice sounding mature, even over Jason's voice. “We must be careful when we enter my mother domain-“

“The Argo II!” Leo had hopped up from his spot in the sand. “That’ll take months to rebuild…” 

Annabeth could see Piper and Jason laughing at their best friend. Everyone knew how Leo’s mind usually worked. Inventions first, love… well, never if Annabeth were to guess. She’d seen Leo show interest in girls, but this was another thing. Usually his ship was what brought him out of his funk.

"As I was saying..." Annabeth looked to Leo, expecting him to interrupt her again. "Athens is still recovering from the Giants War. We must be careful approaching the city. My mother still might not be herself."

Annabeth cringed, remembering when her mother had changed from Athena to Minerva back and forth. It pained her to see her mother like that. She had always seen her mother as strong and smart. When the war came along, her mother was so different Annabeth hardly recognized her.

This would be the first time she would see her mother in months. All Annabeth wanted was to spend a few days with her mom, no interruptions or quests, just her and her mother.

"Annabeth…” Annabeth turned to Piper, who was now leaning against Hazel. The two girls smiled at Annabeth. “Everything’s going to be fine. We have your back.”

Annabeth smiled at the girls. They were like sisters to her. Of course, Annabeth had many half-sisters, being a brain child of Athena wasn’t quite rare now. Piper and Hazel were different, they actually tried to be friends with Annabeth, more than most of Annabeth’s siblings did.

“How much do you want to bet that Nico, Will, and Coach Hedge already beat us to Athens?” Hazel sighed, knowing her brother preferred to shadow travel than anything else.

"I'm not even going to make that bet." Jason stated, beginning the walk to Athens, the other six following after him.

\---------

“Remember, my mother may not be how we remember. This is her temple, please try not to make her angry. I believe she's the mother I know right now. I don't want to see Minerva.” Annabeth spoke softly, trailing off. 

The others just nodded with sad eyes. They've all been there. Athena was just one of the many gods who switched between Greek and Roman. 

Annabeth sighed and opened the temple, walking in stiff and ready. The others shared a look and followed with timid, soft steps. “Mother?” Annabeth called.

“Annabelle? No no, that's not right. Anna….anna...Annabeth! My child.” A dazed Athena turned to the group with a loopy smile. The once brilliant goddess has now been reduced to a confused mess.

“Mother, I have a request.” Annabeth replied in a heartbroken voice. This was her mother. Someone she had looked up to for being strong and smart, was now… broken. 

“Yes, yes, ask away.” Athena hummed under her breath. Annabeth straightened her back more than could have been comfortable. 

“Mother, I request your help in finding a statue. Your statue.” At that, Athena's’ face scrunched up. “My statue? My statue? You insufferable child! What do you need with my statue?” She hissed. 

Jason spoke up. “My lady, Athena, we need the statue for our quest. We just need to know where the statue is and how we can get to it.” By the time he was finished speaking, Athena was switching rapidly to Minerva. 

“My statue! Built in my honor!” She yelled. Her voice softened as she continued, “The statue those nice Greeks built for me, yes, yes.” Her voice rose again. “Built for me!” She settled on Minerva. “You want to know where it is, you bastard children? Ask the spiders!” She screamed before disappearing. 

Frank looked confused. “Bastard? But… We all know our fathers?” He asked, voiced piqued with curiosity. 

Meanwhile, Annabeth was hunched by the door, mumbling to herself. “Spiders? What could she mean? All of her children have arachnophobia…” Her eyes lit up. “Arachne! Of course!” 

The others turned to the excited, yelling Annabeth. “What?” Hazel questioned. 

“Ask the spiders!” Annabeth squealed. They stared at her. She sighed deeply. “She wants us to ask Arachne!” She said with a smile. It began to fade to a terrified look with wide eyes and mouth open. 

“She wants us to ask Arachne…” She fearfully whispered.


	3. 3

Percy

Percy had become infatuated. Swimming near the surface daily to try and find the humans that he and his friends had saved, hoping to see that girl again. His father had become furious that his sons had broken his rule not even a day after getting their freedom to explore the sea.

Percy and Tyson were heading back to the area where the ship was wrecked. They were going to be looking for clues about the six people on the boat. “Daddy will be angry if he finds out…” Tyson mumbled.

“Simple, he won’t.” Percy scoffed. “As long as you don’t tell him. We have to find the humans Ty. They could be hurt and need our help.”

“But brother, we can’t go on land! We have no legs!” Tyson shook his head at the mere thought. 

“Calm Ty. We won’t know if we don’t try. Worse case, I can call upon the waves to take us back in the water.” Percy continued swimming toward the shore. Reyna and Calypso followed behind silently and sulking. Percy had restrained them with ropes and gags to keep them from running to tell father what they had done. Tyson lead the two, they were only a few feet behind, just far enough not to be a bother but could be watched. 

Reyna mumbled something beneath the gag. Tyson reached back as removed it from her mouth for a second. She sighed. “If you would let us go, we could be of assistance.” Percy swam over to her. “No.” He put the gag back and kept going. 

He was floating straight up, looking to where, if he kept going, he would be on shore. He would see her. “Come, Tyson.” He went onto shore.

His body shook and spazzed painfully, his tail seemingly melting away into legs. He screamed in pain as his legs were no more. Tyson gasped and twitched, he wasn’t able to do what Percy was doing. Reyna and Calypso watched in mute terror, watching the boys in seemingly endless pain. Percy fell unconscious. Tyson wasn’t breathing.

Calypso screamed so loud the gag broke. She called the waves forth to gather the boys. They collected Tyson, but avoided Percy like he had some sort of sickness. Calypso ripped the gag off of Reyna and together they broke the ropes. “I’ll get Perseus! You stay with Tyson!” She yelled, changing shape to that of a human and running on shore. 

She grabbed his body and dragged him to the sea. The waves threw them both back onto the sand. Calypso sat sobbing next to his body when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Miss?” She scrambled away, tossing sand everywhere. The young boy yelped. “What kinda hanky-panky are they doin’ there, Nico?” An old voice yelled. 

The boy ignored him and inspected Percy’s body. “He’s still alive, miss. No need to fear, I’m just trying to help. I’m a friend.” She sensed something off about this boy. He felt like… death. She growled and placed her body over Percys’. “A child of Hades is no friend of ours. Begone, reaper.” She hissed. 

 

“Hey, uh, Hedge? I don’t think she’s human!” He stumbled a bit backwards and her growl got deeper and her teeth sharpening. She sniffed and stood straight. “Satyr.” She murmured. “Nico. Get away from her. She’s a siren. She could kill you in an instant if she wanted.” The satyr tentivally said to him.

“Nico.” Will called, gesturing to him to come to him. Nico walked over to Will quickly, not wanting to take his chances.

“Hey Siren, why are you on shore. You never leave the sea.” The satyr questioned. He noticed Percy. “The boy? What’s special about him? Getting laid from some human isn’t usually your type.” He continued. She looked at him quizzically.

“I’m not breeding with the prince, you imbecile.” She hissed. “Can’t you see he’s harmed?” The men looked at him and shrugged. “Seems fine to me.” 

The other boy looked at him closer. “No, this isn’t his form. He’s not human.” “You’re a satyr. You should be able to sense the prince.” She scolded. “I am old. I don’t have a sense very well anymore.” He rolled his eyes.

“Perseus, prince of the sea. Son of Poseidon.” She said, stiffening her back. Their eyes widened. “His body isn’t normal. He’s a merkin, not this.” Her eyes glazed over him. “He’s foolish. He met a human and became infatuated. This is the result.” 

“If I may, Miss, I’m a child of Apollo. I’m a natural healer. I can help him.” The boy approached. Calypso stepped back and tried to not bite the boy as he neared Perseus. “Nico, get the two some clothes.” The satyr ordered. The other boy disappeared.

“I’m William, or Will. The other boy is my boyfriend, Nico. The annoying satyr over there, that’s Coach Hedge.” He laughed. He then frowned. “What is it? What’s wrong with him?” Calypso squeaked, kneeling next to Will. “We need to find the others. We need ambrosia and he needs some rest. Can you check around for any magical items? Ambrosia, weapons, anything?” She nodded and left.


	4. 4

Annabeth

They sat in a single hotel room, bags piled in the closet. There were three beds, three girls, six guys. Obviously they knew how people were being split. Nico appeared, out of breath, from the shadows. “Clear a bed, get medical supplies. We need to help someone.” He said, disappearing again and returning with Will holding a pale boy with dark black hair, clearly unconscious.

Hedge was holding the arm of an angry blonde woman, making sure she wouldn’t attack any kids on his watch. Nico cleared the nearest bed, which happened to be Leo’s. As the swept the objects off the bed, loud crashing from Leo’s inventions as they fell to the floor filled the room. 

Will placed the boy on the bed. Annabeth walked over to see who her friends had brought in. She gasped, stumbling back. It was that boy, the merman. What was his name?

“Be careful with Perseus.” The woman growled. She pulled her arm away from Hedge’s and stood next to the bed.  
Perseus… Percy?

Leo stared at the blonde woman in awe. “You.” He said. “Me.” She snapped. “You saved me. After the ship.” He said. She rolled her eyes. “Only because of this idiot! You people caused this! Now fix him!” She snapped.

Will and Piper began working on Percy. “What happened to him?” Jason questioned. “He went on shore to find you people. He began to move in odd ways, and grew legs.” She said angrily.

“Is he, perhaps, half-human?” Annabeth said, looking up to her. “Yes. Why?” “Well, there’s a mortal movie called. ‘The Little Mermaid’, in which a mermaid goes on land and gets legs after making a deal. If he was born half human, half of his primal instinct would be to be able to gather legs and lose his tail. Naturally, he’d be able to switch between both going from land to sea.”

“Then how come Perseus wasn’t able to go back in the ocean? It was as if it was rejecting him.” The blonde was frowning, watching Will check Percy for injuries.

“Leo knows how that feels.” Frank quipped from his bed. He currently was trying to free his index fingers from a Chinese finger trap. Hazel laughed from next to him, trying to help him out.

Leo blushed, throwing a pillow from his bed at Frank and Hazel. The blonde looked at everyone, sighing. “Well, if we are to be here for awhile, we may as well get our introductions over with. I am Calypso, I am one of the personal guards of Perseus and his brother Tyson. I am a Siren, and the daughter of the titan, Atlas. Lord Poseidon saved me from my punishment on Ogygia.”

Everyone stared at her. All their parents had defeated the Titans once. They knew the Titans were dangerous.

“Are you still a Titan as well?” Leo seemed to be asking the question on everyone’s mind. Calypso glared at Leo.

“I am a Calypso, guard to Lord Poseidon’s family. That’s all the information you need.” 

Annabeth stepped forward, offering her hand to Calypso. “I am Annabeth, demigod daughter of Athena. My friends and I are on a quest to find the Athena Parthenos statue.” 

The others introduced themselves to Calypso.

Percy jolted awake, grabbing Calypso’s arm. His breathing was heavy and he seemed to be wheezing. His eyes were bloodshot, glancing around the room quickly. He had drool on his chin. “T-tyson… where’s Tyson?”

Calypso began quietly talking to Percy. The others turned away to give the two some privacy. After a few minutes, Calypso and Percy were done talking. 

Hedge walked over to the pair and chatted with them silently before motioning for everyone to come over.

“Thank you all for taking care of me.” Percy smiled at everyone. Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat. “Calypso and I shall take our leave. We will find a temple of my father and pray for him to let me come home.” Percy began to try getting out of the bed.

“Sit back down, Percy.” Will put his hands on Percy’s shoulder, trying to keep him from getting up. Calypso pushed away Will quickly. She pulled the seashell barrette from her hair. The barrette changed into a bident. She pointed it at Will. Will took a deep breath. “His body is still adjusting from his new legs. His body is creating blood, tissues, and muscles that he’s never had before. I don’t want him passing out or hurting himself.”

Calypso flushed, her bident turned back into a barrette and she put it back into her hair. “I’m sorry. That was unnecessary.”

Percy seemed disinterested in the conversation around him. Annabeth watched him study his surroundings. His eyes landed on her and she felt as if her heart would jump out of it’s chest.

“You…” Percy mumbled. “I never got your name.” 

“You drool when you sleep.”


	5. 5

Leo

Calypso was the strangest girl he had ever met. She was snarky, protective, and didn’t seem to know boundaries. He didn’t understand why he found that admirable.

Leo had heard the legend of Calypso and her island of Ogygia. She was known for keeping Odysseus on the island for seven years because she had fallen in love with him. Jason’s father, Jupiter, or Zeus at that point in time, had sent Hermes to tell Calypso to release him. Leo had no idea if she was still that clingy.

It was midnight now. The rest of his friends were asleep. He and Frank had offered to sleep on the ground so that Calypso and Percy would have somewhere to sleep.

Leo was leaning against the wall, typing away quietly at his laptop. He heard a shuffling of covers and then someone fell from their bed. The movement was coming from Frank’s bed, so Calypso must’ve fallen. That made him chuckle a little.

“Be quiet, Repair Boy…” Calypso whispered angrily at him.

“I’d rather not, Sunshine.” Leo whispered back. 

He heard more shuffling. Suddenly, Calypso was sitting next to him against the wall. Leo jumped a little.

“The only reason I’m over here is so I can keep an eye on Percy.” Calypso muttered, looking up at Percy. 

“Are you and Percy dating or something?” 

“Heavens no. First of all, his father is my boss. Second, he’s like a little brother to me.”

“Oh…” Leo looked around the room awkwardly. He could wrap his mind around machine. Girls were another story. “Do you want to know more about me? I know you’re uncomfortable with talking about your life.”

“I’m not uncomfortable. I just don’t know you all.” Calypso quirked an eyebrow at Leo. “I’m guessing you already know about my past?”

“What?”

“You have information about me on your mechanical device.”

Leo slammed his laptop shut. He hoped that it was dark enough that Calypso couldn’t see how red his face was. Calypso let out a small laugh.

“You laugh? You, scary bodyguard of Percy? You laugh?”

She looked at him with a dumbfounded look. “Of course I laugh. I’m not a machine, Leo. Is that short for something? There’s a guard I know named Leopold.” 

He laughed a short laugh. “It’s short for Leonidas.” 

“And I thought Leopold was a bad name.”

 

Calypso and Leo talked through the night. They laughed and joked until a pillow was tossed at the two from Hazel. Hazel glared at the two from her spot on the floor. The daughter of Pluto’s hair was going every which way, blocking her eyes from view and making her glare uneffective. She slumped back down into her blankets, muttering to herself. Calypso and Leo burst into giggles, leaning against each as they did so. 

Morning came quickly, much to the disappointment of both Leo and Calypso. Leo yawned, regretting not getting any sleep. He and his friends still had to scavenge the wreckage of the Argo II. 

“Well, Leonidas, thank you for speaking with me all evening. Perhaps you aren’t terrible company.”

“Perhaps?” He smirked. She smiled back. “Yes, perhaps. Try to get some rest before the others awaken. I’ll watch over everyone.” She said, nodding slightly.

“No, its fine. You need rest also.” He shook his head. “No, we sirens do not need much sleep. We tend to only need a few hours of quick rest.” 

He sat silent for a moment before he nodded once and stood. “Alright, Calypso. Have fun.” He gave a half-hearted shrug and yawned again. “Good rest, Leo.” He walked away and took his place on the couch, soft snores coming from his direction not much later. 

Only a few hours later, everyone but Leo was awake and chattering excitedly, debating how to handle the tasks ahead for the day. Jason looked over to Leo. “What about Leo?”

“We should wake him up.” Piper suggested, handing Jason her water bottle. The two smirked at each other, nodding as Jason walked over to Leo. 

He opened the water bottle and held it over Leo’s face. He tilted the bottle and the water splashed onto Leo’s face. Leo seemed unresponsive for a second before jolting up. “Hullo?”

His friends burst into laughter. Leo groaned and moved quickly off the couch. His clothes were soaked. He turned to scream at Jason. He stopped himself when he saw Calypso laughing along with the others. 

Everything Calypso seemed to do made his heart flutter. Her laugh, her smile, even when she was angry, she just seemed so… perfect. Leo gulped in realization.

He had a crush on Calypso.


	6. 6

Hazel

Hazel Levesque had an interesting life. Well, lives to be specific. If you were to explain her situation to someone of her actual generation, they would’ve called you insane. Now, she had others like her.

Frank and Hazel were waiting at the shoreline for Leo, Jason, and Piper to return with anything they could scavenge from the sunk Argo II.

Hazel stared out at the ocean. It was amazing to think that it was so vast that merpeople were actually a thing. Although, when you’re a child of a god, anything was possible.

“It’s so odd, isn’t it?” Frank asked her, eyes trained on the shoreline. “What is?” I turned to him. “Well, there’s 95% of the ocean unexplored. Could you imagine what would happen if a scientist actually went and explored the entire ocean? The merpeople, what would the mist turn them into? If anything at all? And if they didn’t, the scientist would most likely poke and prod and experiment on them.Terrifying, isn’t it? Thinking of it.” He trailed off.

She stared at him. “You’re so brilliant.” She shook her head and leaned forward to kiss him. It began to escalate and then….

A giant, metal dragon head was thrown onto the beach next to them. “Gods almighty!” Frank yelped. Leo excitedly waved to them, “Hey, guys! I found Festus!” Hazel facepalmed so hard she slid on the sand and fell. 

“Hey! Why is Hazel on the ground?” Leo ran up onto the beach. Hazel growled, summoning a gold bar and chucking it at Leo. Leo quickly dodged the gold bar. “Hey! That could’ve hit me.”

“That’s the point, genius.” Frank mumbled. Leo frowned at his friends. “Did I- did I do something?” They rolled their eyes. “Of course not, Leonidas.” Hazel’s voice dripped with sarcasm. He frowned harder, and turned away, talking in an affectionate tone to the metallic dragon head. 

Frank walked up to Hazel and leaned into her ear. “We’ll finish this later, Haze.” He murmured before walking away to see how he could help scavenging. He waded into the water before turning into some animal and swimming away. She laughed and shook her head before nearly stepping on the face of Nico.

 

She yelped and stumbled back before she could. “Nico!” She swore at him and shook her head. “I was just checking up on you guys. What kind of kin-” Hazel cut Nico of by kicking sand into his mouth. “Keep your mouth shut, little brother. Tell dad and I’ll sacrifice Mr. Sunshine to Mrs. O’Leary.” 

He hissed playfully at her and sunk back down slowly, almost comically. Hazel glanced back at the ocean. Frank was now a killer whale, returning to the beach side with Jason and Piper on his back. Hazel thought Frank’s powers were amazing. 

Hazel knew Frank was very self-conscious in his importance in the prophecy. He would sometimes complain to her that he wasn’t doing enough for compared to the rest of their group. He always confided in her, making her happy that he trusted her. Heck, he trusted her enough to hold the the firewood that was considered his life source.

Frank had gotten his two friends to the shore. Jason and Piper walked over to Leo to take inventory of what they had all collected. Frank headed back to Hazel, grinning happily.

Hazel and Frank began whispering to each other, as they always did. It had become a habit of them always being around each other. They had been basically inseparable since they first met at Camp Jupiter. 

“We should head back to the hotel and gather our things. We must leave soon.” Jason informed his friends. Hazel and Frank quickly interlocked their hands, beginning the long walk to the hotel in Athens.

When they arrived at the hotel, they weren’t expecting to see their friends outside the now destroyed hotel. Will and Calypso were tending to Percy’s new wounds. Nico, Annabeth, and Hedge were surrounding a monster Hazel had never seen before. The monster had the head of a woman, the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle, and a serpent-headed tail.

“I’m gonna kill this sphinx!” Hedge bellowed as he charged at the monster. The monster hissed, lunging at Hedge. The sphinx whacked him away from the group with her paw, into the rubble of the demolished hotel. Hazel knew he was knocked out, like he always was.

Hazel looked to Frank and Leo. “Find any civilians and get them away from here. We do not want them to get hurt.”

Frank and Leo nodded, rushing off to any remaining civilians. Hazel, Piper, and Jason rushed over to help their friends. The sphinx was now sitting calmly, even though she was now surrounded by six of the most experienced demigods Hazel had ever met, including herself. 

“Aren’t you going to fight?” Nico growled, pointing his Stygian sword at the sphinx. 

“That sword is useless against me, child of Hades. I die when my riddles are solved. I will allow you all to leave in peace to retrieve the Athena Parthenos, but you must solve my riddles first.” The sphinx’s voice was no longer a shrill hiss. It was smooth, as were most when they were confident in themselves. “You must choose your two wisest adventurers to answer.”

Everyone looked to Annabeth, knowing she was the wisest of them all. Annabeth stepped forward, accepting her fate. The others looked amongst themselves, finally pointing at both Piper and Hazel.

“Not three! I will choose instead!” The sphinx hissed, glaring between Piper and Hazel. The sphinx settled her gaze on Hazel. “Daughter of Pluto, you shall answer my last question. That is if your friend doesn't mess up the first question. If she does, I will kill you all.”

“You didn’t tell us that earlier!” Piper objected, pulling Katoptris out and pointing it at the sphinx.

“Watch it, beauty queen, or I’ll kill you just for fun.”

Annabeth cleared her throat, looking to her friends. “Don’t worry guys. I won’t mess up.” Annabeth looked to the sphinx and nodded. “Tell me the riddle.”

The sphinx lunged at Annabeth, causing the entire group to gasp. The sphinx had Annabeth wrapped tightly in its coils. “Just a precaution. Now, what goes on four legs at dawn, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?”

Hazel knew this answer, having read about Oedipus out of one of Annabeth’s books. Annabeth seemed to know as well. "Man, who as a baby crawls on four legs, then walks on two legs as an adult and in old age walks with a cane as his third leg." 

 

The sphinx screeched in rage, pulling away from Annabeth. It seemed the correct answer made the sphinx weaker. Annabeth nodded at Hazel, walking back to their group of friends. Hazel watched her walk to Calypso and Will, who were still tending to Percy, who was now awake. 

The sphinx attempted to lunge at Hazel, failing miserably. She felt too weak. Hazel had sympathy for the weak creature and walked over to hear her riddle.

"There are two sisters; one gives birth to the other, who in turn gives birth to the first. Who are they?"

Hazel had never heard of this one before. She looked back to her friends nervously. Even Annabeth looked stumped. If Annabeth didn’t know, then how would Hazel even have a chance at getting the answer correct?

“This is a simple riddle, even Oedipus solved it.”

“Oedipus is the only one to have solved your riddles.” Annabeth spat angrily at the sphinx. 

“No helping the speaker!” The sphinx’s eyes turned red. “One more word, and I will eat her and then devour the rest of you.”

Hazel took a shaky breath. The riddle echoed through her head. One gives birth to the other, who in turn gives birth to the first. Hazel looked up at the sky, noticing the sun in the sky, her eyes widening.

“They are day and night. The words are both feminine in Greek.”

The sphinx screeched again, her eyes turning red as she bit into her own flesh, exploding into golden dust. Hazel released a breath she had no idea she had been holding in. Frank ran over to her, placing kisses all over her face.

“Don’t ever do that again.” He mumbled, giving her a light peck on the lips. Hazel and Frank stared lovingly at each other until Annabeth called everyone over to Percy.

Percy was sitting beside Calypso, muttering in a language that Hazel did not understand. He seemed to be frantic. All she understood were the words, “Tyson”, “Father”, and “Atlantis”.

Calypso looked at all the demigods. “We must help Percy get back to Atlantis. His father and brother are in trouble.”

“We have a mission as well, Calypso. We can’t drop everything to help you.” 

“You have to…” Percy’s voice sounded so small and weak. 

“We have a mission, Percy! We can’t worry about people we don’t know!” Jason snapped. “I now them! That’s my family. If you won’t help me, I’ll go myself.” He shouted. He began to storm off before wirling around and hissing, “Don’t even think about travelling by water.” 

Calpso followed Percy without a word. Annabeth called for them to stop. “I have an idea.” 

“As always, wise girl. I don’t have time. My dad, god of the sea, need I remind you, is in trouble and requires my help. Either you help me, or leave me alone.” He snapped. “Come with us, at least until we get the statue, then we’ll take you to the coordinates where your dad is and drop you off. It’s much quicker than you trying to swim with just you and Calypso swim by yourselves, tails or not.”

He looked at Calypso for help with a decision. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back, willing or not. “We are going with them. I am your counsel, you will agree with what I say. Prince or not, human or not, I am still your guardian.”

“But Reyna..” “Is my best friend. This is best for all concerned. Come.”

Hazel had a feeling that the next upcoming weeks would be no good, very bad, or terrible.


	7. 7

Nico

“Look, we can’t go anywhere. The Argo II is broken, or did you forget that the head of Festus is sitting literally right over there!” Leo snapped. “We have to get it fixed. How else are we going to move the damn statue?” 

“The statue is going to have to wait.” Frank said. “The statue can’t wait! Don’t you idiots understand how important that statue is?” Annabeth slammed her hands down on the table. The other customers in the coffee shop starred. She sat down slowly, embarrassed. 

“Forget the statue for a moment. We need that ship fixed. I don’t care about your mission or quest or whatever. I care about getting the damn statue and getting to my dad. The only way to do that is to get your ship fixed.” Percy commented.

“Your input isn’t needed, kid. You’re not apart of the quest. The only reason you’re still here is because you’re an extra body to help fight and protect our chosen six.” Hedge snapped at Percy. “Listen here, overgrown goat. Perseus is the not dispensable. He’s the future king of the sea, he can’t be killed. He needs to be returned to the sea.” Calypso snapped at Hedge.

“It’s Percy. Percy, not Perseus.” Percy chimed in.

“Perseus? Like, the son of Zeus?” A voiced chimed in. “Yeah.” He turned, his eyes meeting with a pale woman. She looked taken aback. “You look like Poseidon.” She murmured. 

The group reached for their weapons. “You’re his son, aren’t you? Oh, put away your weapons. I’m just a mortal. However, I had a son with Poseidon. Poseidon named him Perseus, after his nephew. I never saw my son again. But it wouldn’t make sense why you’d be on land if you were. He said he’d make you one of the merpeople, to keep you safe.” She seemed lost in thought. 

“My father stated I had a mortal mother.” He stood straighter than Nico. “Listen Miss…?” Nico started. “Jackson-Blofis. Sally Jackson-Blofis, mortal.” She smiled. Hedge narrowed his eyes at that. He leaned into Nico. “I don’t think she’s a mortal, nor that she’s aware that she’s not.” 

Calypso looked alarmed by her name. “Miss Jackson-Blofis, I need to speak with you.” She stood “Calypso?” Sally barely got the name out before she was being dragged away. Percy shared a confused look with the others. “Anybody got a clue what just happened?” 

Annabeth gave him a ghost smile. “I think you just met your mother, Perseus.” “It’s Percy!” 

Nico glanced between Percy and Annabeth. He grimaced, noticing their budding romance. He hoped they realized that if she was a human and he was a merman, it would never work out. 

Will nudged his boyfriend’s arm, as if knowing what Nico was thinking. “Hey, did you think us getting together was possible?” Nico flushed, looking down at his feet. “No. I was ashamed. In the closet with the door locked.”

“Well, I liked you anyways, no matter how ashamed you were.” They shared a smile and Nico laughed. Hedge slammed his hand in between them. “Quit all this love birdy stuff and think of a plan, you horndogs!” 

Frank and Nico shared a confused look. They mouthed ‘horndogs?’ to each other. “We have a plan.” Frank said. “With no ship, idiot.” Hazel rolled her eyes. “We have a ship.” Will chimed it. “That’s broken!” Nico smacked him playfully on the back of the head. 

“I have an idea.” Hazel grabbed Nico’s arm, pulling him aside from their friends. “Nico, how well can you shadow travel?”

“The best besides Dad. I can travel the entire group if I wanted to.” He shrugged. Hazel beamed. “Perfect.” She turned to the group. “Since we have no ship, Nico can shadow travel us into Arachne's’ cave, and shadow us out with the statue.” 

Nico held up his hands. “Woah, woah, woah there sis. I can’t shadow all of you plus the statue. That thing is huge. I can maybe shadow one of you and the statute, even then it’ll be hard, and take a ton of energy. How much energy that would even take is unknown, I can’t shadow the entire statue and roughly eight people.” He hated to burst her bubble, but not even their dad could do that…..maybe. 

Her shoulders slumped. “Wait a second, Hazel. You were onto something.” Annabeth perked up. She turned to Nico. “If you could shadow just me into the cave,” Her sentence was met with protest. “We’re not letting you go in there alone!” “What if you get in trouble?” “Annabeth, that’s a giant spider, you think you can handle that alone?”

Hedge stood. “Quiet!” He yelled to them, earning another look from the entire restaurant. “Thank you Hedge.” Annabeth turned back to Nico.

“...And shadow me back out with the statute, do you think it would take too much energy?”

Nico stuttered. “We-well, I’m not quite sure. I’ve never tested it. I may have to just travel the statute and come back for you or Hazel may have to get you, I don’t know yet.” 

At that, Hazel froze. “I can barely travel myself. How am I going to travel Annabeth?”   
Nico shot her a look. “I don’t know how much energy this will take. I shadowed the Argo II ten miles and went into a coma for three days. I’m shadowing a statute to the beach, at least 50 miles minus getting it out from underground. I may fall into a coma getting it there. We don’t know yet.” 

Annabeth shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how you get me out. It matters if we get my mothers statute back.”

“Is there anyway I can help?” Percy’s voice was louder than the others. Everyone turned to him as he stepped very shakily forward into the group’s circle. “I have a weapon my father gave me if Atlantis was in trouble.”

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a clam necklace, though the string for the necklace was broken. He gently opened the clam, a bright light flashed, blinding the unexpected group. As they regained their eyesight, they saw Percy, standing mighty with a Celestial Bronze sword in his hand. 

“This is Anaklusmos, or Riptide.” Percy stated showing the group the sword. Most of the group was in awe, except for Nico, who was laughing to himself. “What?”

“Of course a son of Poseidon would have Riptide.” Nico was still laughing to himself. The rest of the group couldn’t figure out why he found Riptide so funny.

“Riptide only is for the favorite sons of Poseidon.” Nico smirked, poking Percy’s chest. “So, you must be your daddy’s favorite.”

Percy glowered. “I’m my father’s only demigod. Naturally, he’d give me Riptide. My brother Tyson has a replica of his trident. Our brother, Triton, is only a babe. Unlike yours, my father doesn’t mass produce dead kids.” Percy snapped at Nico. The group froze at the mention of dead kids.

Nico stood, shadows bending around him. “Watch what you say Perseus. There’s a lot you don’t know. Look at the stars and you’ll see my sister, dead at the fault of your father, who mistook her as trouble and would not help her, he wouldn’t listen to her prayers and assist her while battling a monster searching for something else. She prayed to everyone. Your father is the only one being unaffected by the split personalities of all the gods.

You say that my father produces dead kids. We are not dead yet. My sister and I, Hazel, have been alive longer than we should be. Trapped in time. We are not dead, Perseus, but living stronger and wiser than you will ever be.”

Leo leaned over to Piper, “Talk about a family feud.” “Shut up Leo!”

Percy and Nico snapped at him with a glare. Their gazed at each other in anger. “Perseus Jackson, you know not what you say. Be silent.” Calypso returned and glared at the boy, the woman standing behind him. “Perseus, this is your mother, Sally Jackson-Blofis.”

She leaned over and smiled. “I’ve missed a lot of your life, Percy. I’m sorry about that. But, your father didn’t want to risk my life, nor yours, with monsters. He took you to Atlantis, sent me updates of how you were once a year, and if I was lucky, a picture. I had hoped I would meet you in America, but Athens on vacation is fine too.” She smiled.

“I’m picking up drinks for my husband, Paul, and my…” She trailed off. “My daughter, Estelle. Your sister.” Percy’s eyes widened. “I have a sister?” Sally smiles. 

“Would you like to meet her? She only three, they’re at the hotel room. I’ll text Paul and let him know you’re coming so he’ll get...decent.” 

He looked to the others. Jason shrugged. “Hey man, all we’re going to be working on rebuilding the ship. Annabeth will be with the spider-”

“I could go with Percy!” Annabeth spoke quickly. Everyone turned to her, looking confused. Annabeth hadn’t been that excited since she received Daedalus’ laptop. “I-I mean… I don’t have to go now. We still have a month to return to Greece to defeat Gaea. I’m sure we can spare some time for Percy and his mother.”

“I’ll go too.” Nico stated, standing next to Annabeth. “We need to be ready for any attack from monsters. I know Annabeth is capable by herself, but Percy has never fought on land before. He might need help.”

The group agreed. Everyone split to their respective ways. Sally, Percy, and Annabeth were walking back into Athens. Nico started to follow after them before being stopped by a very tan arm. Nico was turned around and pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

“Please be careful, Nico. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.” 

“I’m going to be fine, William.” Nico choked out between the feeling of every bone in his body pop. Will released Nico from his constricting hold. Will kissed the top of Nico’s forehead.

Nico rushed after Percy’s group. He could feel Will’s eyes on the back of his head. He’d be back for his Sunshine.


	8. 8

Piper

Jason had flown himself and Piper to the beach near the Argo II wreckage. They were sitting on the beach, waiting for the others to arrive. Piper and Jason stared at the water.

“I know our parents are Gods and Goddesses, but it’s still hard to believe that we know a merman.” Jason absentmindedly said. Piper nodded, sinking her hands into the sand around them. She lifted her hands and the grains of sand fell to the ground.

Piper had been to a beach many times in her life. Most times were with her father, a few by herself, and too many getting away from the beast that rampaged her life. She was always calmed by the waves crashing gently on the shore, littering seashells. Piper stood and began to collect the ones she saw as most beautiful, she did have an eye for beauty, after all.

One by one, she added to her pile. There was brights blues and vibrant pinks, a few had crawled away, unknowingly at the time been inhabited by sea life. Piper noticed her braid falling out, as it always did when Jason, who was watching her with amusement, flew them places. She sat next to her pile and took down her hair. 

Slowly, one by one, she braided the shells into her hair. When she was done, her hair looked like a cascading brown waterfall with broken pieces of rainbow mixed in. Jason loved this girl.

After she was done, she turned to Jason again. “Merman or not, I think we need him. He’s able to control water, keep Frank safe from fire with that. He can talk to the waves, the sea animals, keep us safe on the water. You keep us safe in the air. Hazel and Nico keep us safe on the ground. We are guarded from all angles.

I want to know how he got here though. Why is a better question. I’m not sure if I trust him yet. He’s quiet, confused, unsure of how we work. He may be a burden. I don’t want him dragging the team down.”

“He might be the seventh demigod of the prophecy.”

The words hung in the air between the couple. It was obviously something that had been considered in the past few days. Percy may have been a merman, but he was also technically a demigod, due to his mother being a mortal and his father being a god. 

“It would make sense. All of our parents are Olympian Gods. Poseidon is one of the Olympian Gods.” Jason quipped picking up a seashell by his feet and trying to weave it into Piper’s braids.

It was always weird for Piper when she thought about the Olympian Gods. For one, she grew up with Cherokee stories and myths. Then there was the fact that her mother, Aphrodite, was the most ancient Olympian.

As Piper looked out to the sea, she was reminded about how her mother was born. 

The titans had pinned down Ouranos, the god of the sky, and chopped him into pieces. When the pieces fell from the sky, they happened to land in the ocean. Aphrodite arose from the sea surrounded by sea foam. 

Piper would always be confused on how that could’ve happened. She’s just learned not to question it. The mysteries of the Greek gods and goddesses were probably best kept secret. 

Piper was thrown from her shocked state when Jason wrapped his arm around her. She smiled at her boyfriend. Sometimes she got angry, all her focus was usually on the prophecy, not on her boyfriend. She hoped that didn’t make him sad.

“Jason-“

“Hey guys! Hot Stuff McShizzle is here!” Leo threw his arms around the couple, sticking his head between Jason and Piper’s heads. 

Piper sighed, shaking her head and smiling at Leo. Leo was the ultimate third wheel, but Piper loved her best friend. He was always there for her. He listened, he comforted, and he always knew when to stop if he ever made her uncomfortable. 

Jason chuckled, punching Leo in the shoulder. “Are the others close behind?”

“Frank turned into an elephant so that he and Hazel could bring Festus here faster. I’m not complaining, though. Festus’ head alone is like 300 pounds.” Leo flexed. “Not that I couldn’t pick that up.”

“You could probably pick it up, but then it would crush your hundred pound body.” Piper smirked at Leo. Leo pouted, crossing his arms and looking away from Piper.

“He only weighs a hundred pounds?” Calypso’s voice came from behind the three friends. Leo’s eyes widened, lightly smacking Piper’s arm. “That’s not very strong, Leonidas. I would’ve expected better from the creator of a ship like yours.”

“Just because I’m little doesn’t mean I’m not strong.” Leo walked over to Calypso, attempting to show off his muscles.

“I guess everything is little on you, Leonidas.” Calypso retorted. She walked into the ocean and turned back into her siren form. Leo stood on the shore, gaping at Calypso.

“Close your mouth Leo, you’ll catch flies.” Piper nudged the son of Hephaestus in the shoulder. Leo snapped out of his stupor, looking down at his feet. The daughter of Aphrodite could tell that Leo was harboring a crush on the former island goddess.

“Does anyone want to swim ahead with me to the shipwreck?”

“I’ll go!” Leo exclaimed, starting to tear off his shirt. Piper grabbed the edge of Leo’s shirt. Leo turned to look at Piper, pouting as he tugged up on his own shirt.

“How about I go? Your powers work better on land. You won’t be able to “flame on” in the water.” Piper advised. Leo sighed, releasing the hem of his shirt. Piper kissed Leo’s cheek. “I’ll be back. Make sure Jason doesn’t miss me too much.”

 

“You got it, Beauty Queen.” Leo stuck his tongue out at Piper.

“Well! We should get going, spawn of Aphrodite.” Calypso called impatiently from the sea.

“It’s Piper!”

“I know.” Calypso disappeared under the waves.

After a quick goodbye with Jason, Piper went into the water after Calypso. Calypso was waiting underwater for Piper. Calypso took a breath, releasing air bubbles. She grabbed one of the air bubbles and expanded it, basically making an air helmet for Piper.

“That should last until we get to the wreckage. Don’t be an idiot and pop the bubble.”

Calypso swam ahead of Piper. Piper quickly swam after her, not wanting to be far in case her bubble popped. Piper could tell that the island nymph didn’t seem happy.

“Calypso? Did I do something to make you mad?” Piper asked, swimming beside Calypso. Calypso rolled her eyes and swam forward. “Stop swimming away and answer my question.”

Calypso immediately stopped and floated where she was. She quickly turned and hissed at Piper. “Did you just use charmspeak on me?” 

“I d-didn’t mean to! I swear!” Piper may have been the child of Aphrodite, but she didn’t have as many years of fighting experience that Calypso probably had. “I’m so sorry.” 

Calypso glared at her. “You lie, child.”

Piper straightened her back. “Believe me, I didn’t mean to.” Calypso’s face went blank. “I believe you.” Piper clapped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had done again. 

Calypso’s face moved to confusion. “You did something to me.” Piper looked down. “I’m sorry.”

Calypso scoffed. “Guess you live up to your heritage, how many boys must you enchant? Isn’t Zeus’ son good enough?”

“What do you mean?” Piper was utterly confused. “My only boyfriend is Jason.”

“Then why do you also harbor a crush on Leonidas?” 

Oh, so that’s what was happening here. Piper smirked and began laughing. 

“What is so funny, spawn of Aphrodite?”

“You have a crush on Leo!” Piper was laughing so hard that her air bubble was pulsing outwards, looking as if it were about to pop. “I’m not trying to be mean, but he’s been chasing girls forever. Finally the girl who likes him is way out of his league. It’s just funny.”

“It is rather funny.” Calypso agreed, breaking her serious character and giggling. “He makes up for what he lacks in strength with his vast knowledge of technology. It’s rather flattering on his character.”

 

“But his puns are disgusting.” 

“Agreed.”

Calypso and Piper continued their swim, bantering back and forth as they did.


	9. 9

Percy

Percy couldn’t believe this was happening. He had met his mother. His mother. He was excited, but he also felt as if he were betraying his father. His father had been deeply in love with Sally Jackson before Percy was born. After Percy was born, Poseidon banned merpeople from interacting with humans. Had Sally done something to hurt Poseidon? Was Poseidon afraid of hurting Sally if the Olympians had to turn on the humans? Percy wished he had answers to his questions.

Percy looked at his companions. His mother, Nico, and Annabeth. 

Annabeth and Sally were talking back and forth. Percy was just confused on how Annabeth was getting along better with his mom than he was. To be honest, everything was different to him after leaving the ocean.

Nico was trailing behind them all, looking at the ground as he walked. Percy felt a little bad for snapping at him earlier. He would apologize soon, but right now he had a sibling to meet.

Speaking of siblings, Percy hoped Tyson was okay. He was sure that Reyna was taking care of Tyson, but she couldn’t protect Tyson from their father. Poseidon himself was a pretty calm lord of the sea, but he could be terrifying. 

“You seem distracted, Percy. Are you alright?” His mother asked. “What happened between you and my father?” Sally grew quiet.

“Your father found a mistress of the sea. He loved me, yes, however, Zeus didn’t approve. He gave him a mistress, told him if we continued to be together, he’d kill you and I. Poseidon banned humans, he didn’t want any others to feel the pain he did.” 

“My stepmother is no mistress, my father truly loves her.” Percy knew this was true. His father and Amphitrite seemed like the perfect couple.

“You get stuck with someone long enough, you learn to love them.” She said sadly. 

“But my brother? Triton? A baby isn’t born from a loveless marriage.” 

Annabeth looked at him. “Babies aren’t born from marriage at all seaweed brain. You know how babies are born right?”

“Uh.. The lady lays an egg, the male fertilizes it, and then it develops.” Annabeth doubled over with laughter. Nico snorted and chuckled silently.

“Well, you see, babies are born when-“ 

“WE’RE HERE!” Sally interrupted. Annabeth shrugged. “Later on then.” 

Sally smiled back at the two. “As I was saying, Triton was born of expectancy, and yes, love.” Sally shrugged and opened the door. 

“Paul?” A young girl slid with skill around the corner. “Mommy!” She stopped short. “You’re ugly. Who are you?” Annabeth, Nico, and Percy shared confused looks and Sally laughed hysterically.

The child turned to Annabeth. “Are you a princess? I’m Estelle!” She giggled. 

“I’m Annabeth Chase. It’s nice to meet you.” Annabeth kneeled down to be eye to eye with Estelle. 

“It’s nice to meet you too!” Estelle beamed, looking to Nico. “You look like a ninja! Can you do anything cool?”

“Uh…” Percy could tell that Nico was uncomfortable. Percy quickly turned to his mother for help, not wanting to overstep his boundaries with his sister yet. 

“Estelle, come here sweetie.” Sally lifted up Estelle and held her, kissing her daughter’s forehead. “These people are very important.” Sally pointed to Percy. “He’s especially important.”

“Why?”

“This is your brother, Percy Jackson.” 

“That’s Percy?” Estelle’s eyes sparkled. The small girl reached for Percy. Percy took a step back, scared of hurting this tiny human. 

“Uh, yes I’m Percy.”

“Are you really a mermaid? Like Ariel from The Little Mermaid?”

From beside Percy, Nico burst into laughter. They may not have movies or TV underwater, but everyone under the sea knew about that wretched Disney movie. Especially Percy, due to the fact that some people in Atlantis even call him Ariel every now and then to push his buttons.

“I’m a merman, and no I’m not related to Ariel.” Percy explained. Estelle looked unimpressed. “But I can manipulate water, that’s pretty cool right?”  
“If you’re a mermaid, where’s your tail?”

“Merman, and I don’t believe I can have a tail out of water.”

 

“What happens when you take a bath?”

“A bath?” Percy looked to Nico and Annabeth for answers. Nico sighed.

“Well, that explains a lot about your current smell situation.”

“Sally?” A voice called from in the hotel room. A middle-aged man walked into the room. He had salt-and-pepper hair, glasses, and a very bright smile while he looked at Sally. Percy couldn’t help but grin, at least his mother found a new love as well. “Sally, who are these kids? Are you randomly adopting children on the street again?”

“I miss Thalia…” Estelle pouted, crossing her arms. 

“Thalia?” Annabeth whispered to herself. Percy looked to Annabeth, but she was looking at the ground. Annabeth's face was grim.

“No Paul, I’m not adopting random children again.” Sally laughed, placing Estelle on the ground. Estelle ran to Paul and hugged him close.

Paul’s eyes flitted over each person. He settled on Percy. “You must be Percy.” He said quietly. He stretched out his hand. “I’m Paul, your mother's husband.”

Percy stared at his hand in confusion. “You shake it, Percy.” Nico offered. Percy took his hand and violently shook it. Paul laughed. “Not used to land customs yet, hm? That’s alright. You’ll adjust soon.”

Percy gave a relieved sigh that Paul understood he wasn’t normal. Estelle struggled against Paul’s grip and he let her down. She ran to Annabeth and tugged on her hand. “Let’s go play! My room is this way. You too ninja boy!” She squealed. 

Nico and Annabeth shared an exasperated look and followed the living sugar high. Percy chuckled. 

Sally walked over to Percy and smiled at him. “Why don’t we talk for a bit?” Sally gently grabbed Percy’s arm, leading him to the couch. Sally made him sit on the couch. Sally sat beside him, reaching for Percy’s hand. “So, what was it like living in Atlantis?”

“Yes, what is Atlantis like? I’m sure my students would love to hear about it.” Paul sat on the arm of the couch, wrapping an arm around Sally. Percy smiled at the couple.  
“No offense, but don’t humans think Atlantis is a myth?” Paul laughed. “Some do. Many believe it’s just lost. I tell them it came from some scientist who thinks he found it.” Paul shrugged.

Percy starred thoughtfully out the window across from him. “It’s beautiful. Tall buildings that shine so brightly, it almost blinds you. Merpeople swimming all about, yelling out to try to sell their goods. The main market is right in the middle of Atlantis. Father, Tyson, and I sometimes go out and stroll the market, talk to our people. The clothing is amazing.

“Colorful fabrics. Dresses are commonly worn but sometimes people prefer armor.” Percy wore a ghost smile. “Dresses for the ladies, I suppose?” Paul asked. Percy laughed. “No, everybody wore dresses. There wasn’t gendered clothing. Only rank. If you were in the military, you wore armor. If not, dresses. There was no poor or rich. My father lives in an castle, yeah, but he built it. He doesn’t tax our people. There isn’t money really, only trading.”

Sally saw how much he missed it. She had a feeling he wouldn’t return to land after this was all said and done. “Atlantis is wonderful. We’re good people. We only kill when we need to eat. It’s illegal to kill for sport, you must eat what you slay. And every part the animal has, you must use. Father is very strict about that. We don’t have crime or murder. There’s no reason to. We are peaceful people. Happy people. 

“I don’t understand why someone would attack and hurt Atlantis. I hope my people are okay.” Percy’s gaze drifted downward. “Tyson and I, we were going exploring. Looking for a place to start our own kingdom like Atlantis, maybe, when we came across Annabeth and the others. I had to save them. And for that, my people pay the price of my leaving the sea.”

“Oh Percy.” Sally brought her son into a hug. “You’ll be home soon, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so.” Percy whispered, feeling strange that he hadn’t pulled away from the hug yet. Hugging Sally almost felt like home. 

“Percy, sweetie, don’t cry.”

“I’m not-” Percy reached up, realizing that tears were streaming down his face. This was the first time that water had really touched him outside of the sea. “Oh, never mind. I am crying.”

Percy hadn’t realized how much he actually missed Tyson and their father. Now here Percy was, with the other half of his family. Why was it giving him such strong emotions? 

“Was it hard? Not knowing if you were ever going to see me again?” Percy looked to Sally. He had been wanting to know this ever since his father had told him about his mother.

 

“Percy, letting you go was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. When you were born, I was the happiest I had ever been. You were healthy and had beautiful green eyes. For a moment, it seemed like nothing could tear you away from me.

“Your father absolutely adored you from the moment he saw you, Percy. He began promising me that he would take care of you. I was confused, but then… Zeus appeared. He threatened to kill you and me if Poseidon and I continued our relationship. Poseidon didn’t want to leave, but I insisted he leave and take you with him.”

“Why? Why did you let him take me? Why didn’t you take me yourself?”

“Percy, you wouldn’t like it up here. The sea is so much more beautiful and full of less hate than here on the surface. I knew it would be the best way to protect you from the- Never mind. I just knew you’d be safer with him.”

“Protect me from what?”

“The prophecy of seven.” Annabeth’s voice echoed around the apartment. Percy hadn’t noticed her come in.

“There is no prophecy of seven. Only the chosen six.” Percy stood from the couch, his voice raising. “There’s no way I’m part of a prophecy.”

“Why not? You’re a demigod child of Poseidon, who’s an Olympian god.”

“I’m not part of the prophecy!”

“You don’t get it Seaweed Brain! The only reason we’re in Greece right now is because our oracle told me that we’d find you here!” Annabeth yelled.

Percy was frozen in shock. His fists clenched and he took hard and long strides towards Annabeth. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place? Maybe I don’t want to be part of this dumb quest!”

“It’s not like you had a choi-”

“No, I had a choice, Wise Girl. I should’ve chosen to let you all drown!” 

There was a shriek from the opposite side of the hotel suite. Nico ran to the main room of the suite, Estelle in his arms. They were drenched in water.

“This suite is flooding fast. We need to leave. Now.” Nico ordered, grabbing Annabeth’s arm and motioning for Sally and Paul to follow him.   
Percy watched the others leave. He grimaced, watching as water began to rise around his feet. He tried to get the water to stop, but that just caused more to flow into the room and into the hotel hallway.

He didn’t want to be part of stupid prophecy. He didn’t want to be stuck with strangers for who knows how long. He wanted to be home with his brothers, his father, and stepmother. He wanted his family. He never asked for this.

“No one ever asks to be a half-blood.” Percy’s head jolted up. There he was, his father, Poseidon, king of the sea. His father had his signature beard, but he had never seen his on land clothes before. A blue and yellow hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. “Percy, I see you’ve met your mother.”

“Father!” Percy ran over to Poseidon, grabbing his father’s arms. “You can get me home!”

“Percy-”

“You’re a god. You can change the prophecy and let me go home right?”

“Percy-”

“I don’t want to be apart of thi-”

“Perseus Jackson! You will be quiet now!” Poseidon just looked silly summoning his trident in his khaki shorts, but that didn’t keep Percy from being afraid. Atlantis may have been a peaceful place, but that was because the people lived in fear of what might happen if Poseidon was outraged and took it out on the mighty city. “Percy, I always knew the day would come when you had to fulfill the prophecy of seven.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Son, I just wanted us to be as normal of a family as we could. I know you value that. Now, straighten your spine and go help those kids fulfill their prophecy. Then, you can come home.”

“What about my water abilities? I can’t control it well.”

 

“Then learn to. Remember Percy, I am always with you.”

Poseidon opened his hand and Percy chuckled, seeing his clam sword. His father would always make it appear in his hand as if Percy had lost it. Poseidon waved his hand over the clam, turning it into a pen.

“New design, fits in better with mortals.” Poseidon winked, handing Percy the pen. Then, as like when he appeared, the God of the Sea was gone.

Percy put the pen in his shorts’ pocket. He looked down at the ground and noticed that there was not a trace of water. Percy sighed, walking out of the hotel room to find his mother and his companions.

He had a quest to get ready for.


	10. 10

Annabeth

Annabeth was going to punch that Seaweed Brain, no matter how cute he was. The only reason she didn’t tell him about his part in the prophecy is because she knew he would act like this. People were terrified of unknown information. That’s why Annabeth was always prepared for anything and everything. Everything except for this.

Nico was trying to calm down Estelle, who was clinging to him tightly. Sally was attempting to remove the small one, but with no success. Annabeth and Nico locked eyes. They both knew this was a bad set back. 

Percy stepped out of the hotel building. “The water’s gone. Sorry for the scare.” 

Annabeth noticed a change in his demeanor. The boy looked much calmer than he had mere minutes ago, but his face held more maturity than it did before. His hand was in the pocket of his khaki shorts. Whatever was in his pocket, Annabeth felt as if he’d protect it with his life. 

“Annabeth, I’m sorry I yelled at you. You were right about me blowing things out of proportion.”

“I’m always right.”

Sally had managed to grab Estelle from the son of Hades. Percy walked over to his mother and little sister. 

“I’m sorry for scaring you Estelle. Please forgive me? I’ll name my kingdom after you. You can be princess.” Percy cooed to the young girl. Estelle sniffed and launched herself at Percy. Percy held Estelle close.

Annabeth couldn’t help but smile at the siblings. She glanced over to Nico who had his hands shoved in his pockets, looking stubbornly at the ground. He was thinking of Bianca again.

“Hey, we’ll see Hazel in a bit, okay?” Annabeth whispered to Nico. He looked to her with a shy smile and nodded.

“Thanks Annie.” Nico muttered, quickly changing the smile to his usual grimace.

“We need to head back to help with the Argo II. You ready to go Percy?”

Percy kissed the top of Estelle’s head. He gently placed his sister on the ground, though Estelle immediately clung to his leg. “Estelle, I promise to come visit you.”

“W-will I really be a princess in your kingdom?” Estelle sniffled. Percy smiled and nodded at Estelle.

Annabeth felt her heart flutter at the sight of Percy being so caring. A slight smack on her arm turned her to Nico’s general direction. The son of Hades was shaking his head at the daughter of Athena. What was he shaking his head about?

“Goodbye, mom.” Percy and Sally embraced quickly. They pulled away from the hug and sighed. “I promise to visit you too.”

“Come back safe and come back soon.”

“I will.”

“Let’s go, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth’s mouth was speaking before she had a chance to think about it. 

“Alright, Wise Girl.” Percy squeezed his mother’s hand before walking off to his quest companions. 

The three demigods walked in silence to the beach. Annabeth kept glancing at Percy, no matter how much she told her brain not to. This Seaweed Brain was going to be the death of her.

 

Annabeth didn’t know how Leo had done it, but the Argo II was on the shoreline. Leo was scaling the side of the vessel, fixing minor repair with tools he kept switching from his magical tool belt. Jason was flying around the masts, taking the ripped sails down for mending. Calypso was sitting on the deck, her hands a blur as she mended the sails quickly. The sails appeared at her side one after the other.

Hazel and Frank were watching the perimeter of the Argo II. Nico had shadow-traveled beside Hazel, nooging his sister’s hair. Percy ran to the deck, where Coach Hedge was helping Calypso with the sails. Annabeth was left on the beach by herself.

Her hand went to her pocket, clutching the coin that her mother had given her. The Mark of Athena. It seems as if these coins cursed children of Athena. Annabeth just wanted to make her mother proud. It was hard to do that when your life’s quest was meant for you to do everything by yourself.

Annabeth was glad that she was surrounded by girls at least. Most children of Athena at camp were boys. She hoped Malcolm was doing well as temporary cabin counselor.

A loud splash from the Argo II broke Annabeth from her thoughts. Leo had jumped from the rope that was holding him to the side of the ship, he was swimming through the water lazily. Calypso was swimming beside Leo, laughing at things he said. Frank and Hazel had abandoned their posts and were wadding in the shallow part of the beach. Jason and Piper were on the highest mast of the Argo II, meaning Jason had flown them up there for their break. Nico and Will were nowhere to be seen. Coach Hedge was yelling at the demigods to get out of the water and come back to help. Percy jumped off the ship and into the water, causing a splash high enough to get Coach Hedge.

Annabeth giggled and then stopped in horror to realize that she did in fact giggle. Annabeth didn’t giggle. Annabeth felt her feet begin to walk towards the water. Running, now she running towards the water. What was happening? Her mind was doing the opposite of what she was telling herself to do. Annabeth was in the water before she knew it, splashing her friends.

Annabeth turned when she felt something grab her arm. Percy smiled brightly at her and began speaking. Annabeth studied the son of Poseidon’s face. Soon, she found herself staring at his seagreen eyes. Suddenly, she felt the need to change her favorite color.

“Annabeth?”

“Huh?” Percy was too close. Way too close. Why wasn’t she pulling back?

“I said I hope the rest of this quest will be as fun as this.”

“Oh.”

Percy wasn’t moving away from Annabeth. Annabeth didn’t know what to do.

“So, do I really drool in my sleep?”

Annabeth acted before she could think. Suddenly, Percy’s lips were on hers. The son of Poseidon didn’t move away though, he returned her actions.

The daughter of Athena was used to sticking to facts and figures. This was a complete turn of her fate. She was kissing a merman. 

A merman. Percy was a merman!

Annabeth pulled away, swimming away from Percy quickly. She finally understood what Nico was trying to tell her. A merperson and a human couldn’t be together. That was a fact.

Never in Annabeth’s life had she wanted a fact to be disproved.


End file.
